Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Sunday at the age of 96, is being remembered for her devotion to her family, the nation, and humanitarian work around the world. She is survived by her husband of 77 years, former President Jimmy Carter, who is 99.
The Carter Center said she died "peacefully, with family by her side," at her home in Plains, Georgia. She had been diagnosed with dementia and had recently entered home hospice care.
Born in Plains on Aug. 18, 1927, the oldest of four children, Rosalynn Smith was 18 when she started dating Jimmy Carter. They married a year later, in 1946.
The Carters lived in several cities around the world when Jimmy Carter served in the Navy, before returning to Plains to run his family's peanut business. Along the way, they had three sons and one daughter.
Jimmy Carter with wife Rosalynn Carter and their daughter Amy at the Baptist church in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, in 1976. / Getty Images
She campaigned by his side when he entered politics, and was a trusted adviser to her husband throughout their time in public life.
Jimmy Carter was elected governor of Georgia in 1970, and in 1976, he ran for president. He won the Democratic nomination and went on to defeat Republican Gerald Ford on Election Day.
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter at campaign event for the 1976 New Hampshire presidential primary. Ann Limongello /Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Jimmy Carter embraces his wife Rosalynn after receiving the news of his victory in the presidential election on Nov. 2, 1976. Hulton Archive / Getty Images Democrat Jimmy Carter is sworn in by chief justice Earl Burger as the 39th president of the United States while first lady Rosalynn looks on, Washington DC, January 20, 1977. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Hulton Archive/Getty Images
After they moved into the White House, Rosalynn Carter used the first lady's office as a platform to promote better understanding of mental illness, and served as the honorary chairperson of the President's Commission on Mental Health.
First lady Rosalynn Carter talks on the telephone in her plane as she returns from a campaign trip to Florida on Oct. 5, 1979. / Getty Images
President Carter lost his bid for reelection in 1980, and the Carters began a new phase of their lives.
They founded the Carter Center in Atlanta, with a mission of promoting peace and conflict resolution. And they worked for decades on behalf of Habitat for Humanity to build new homes for the poor.
"She was a partner in good deeds with her husband, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, as they traversed the globe to strengthen democracy, resolve conflicts, advance human rights, and eliminate debilitating diseases after their time in the White House," staff of the Carter Center wrote in a tribute following her death. "She will ever inspire us."
Former president Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, work on building a home during Habitat for Humanity's Carter Work Project event in Denver, Oct. 9, 2013. RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images Jimmy Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Here, he signs the guestbook in the Nobel Institute in Oslo, Norway, next to his wife Rosalynn, as members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee look on. -/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Here are more photos from Rosalynn Carter's extraordinary life:
